Two arrested after Google Street View captures potential evidence in gruesome crime
A chance encounter with a Google Street View camera has led to the arrest of two suspects in the murder of a man whose dismembered body was found in a small village in northern Spain.
The bizarre breakthrough occurred in the province of Soria, a region better known for its quiet charm than grisly crime scenes, per News.com.au.
The victim, 32-year-old Jorge Luis Perez, had been missing for over a year before his remains were discovered last week in the cemetery of Andaluz, a tiny village with just 12 residents.
An Unlikely Witness to Murder
Authorities arrested two people in connection with the killing: a Cuban woman who was Perez’s former partner and a 48-year-old man from Tajueco, a nearby village. The male suspect, police say, is also the woman’s ex-husband.
The arrest of the suspects came after an astonishing piece of evidence surfaced—courtesy of Google Street View. The tech giant’s car-mounted camera captured an image of the male suspect during what appeared to be the act of moving Perez’s body.
In the image, taken in broad daylight, the man can be seen bending down to load a plastic-wrapped bundle into the trunk of a red sedan. He is wearing a blue jacket from local football club Club Deportivo Numancia, jeans, and brown boots. Another blurry Street View photo shows someone pushing a similar bundle in a wheelbarrow.
Police used the Google images, along with other investigative evidence, to link the suspects to Perez’s murder. The gruesome discovery of Perez’s remains in the Andaluz cemetery added further weight to the case.
The suspects have since been arrested and charged with the murder. Both are now in custody as the investigation continues. The murder has shaken the small villages of Tajueco and Andaluz, both of which are home to fewer than a few dozen residents.
Google Street View – launched in 2007 – has long been known for capturing peculiar and often surreal moments from everyday life.
The service allows users to explore maps through real-world images taken by its cars, which traverse streets around the world.
As police work to uncover more details about the crime, the unexpected role of Google’s Street View camera has solidified its reputation as an accidental witness to human behavior — both mundane and, in this case, chillingly criminal.
Additionally, Google Maps has also been utilized in grim discoveries, such as the time a Florida man missing for 22 years was found by a curious Internet user.
